Nantasket
With the exception of one summer in Cape Cod when I was eight (I managed to get lost in the woods), I spent most summer vacations at Nantasket beach in the town of Hull, Massachussetts, Nantasket is located about 20 miles south of Boston on Route 3. Nantasket was popular with lower and middle class folks from the Boston area. Nantasket had a large Jewish community, If you continued driving on Route 3 for another hour or so you would reach Cape Cod. The Cape was the destination of upper crust Bostonians including the likes of the Kennedy clan compound in Hyannis.
There may have been fancier beaches in southern New England (Provincetown, the Cape, Scituate, Cohasset, Hingham) but to this day, I believe Nantasket beach with it’s miles long stretch of ocean is the best.
I still remember the thrill when the Roller Coaster of Paragon park came into view. A few seconds later, I could smell the salt of the ocean and hear the pounding surf.
Such joy for a six year old. My mother rented a room for us at the Bermaken Inn (see picture) right on the beach at K street. After a day on the beach and playing outside until dark, I could see the ring of lights from the houses that stretched along the gentle curve of the beach. Back in the room, I would fall asleep listening to the lapping waves and the salty smell of the sea — an early vivid memory.
Here’s a picture of me from that era. I must have been about six. I still remember that white bathing suit. I learned to swim that summer. I also had my first crush on a girl called “Freddie.” I think her last name was Jackson. Her first name was Fredlyn. Quite unusual. I wonder what became of her.
When I was in my early teens, we used to rent a small cottage right on the beach. My auntie Selma eventually bought the house right next to the one we rented; she became a full time resident of Hull, Mass. This house a great porch and a little cottage in back of the house. It’s the house on the left in the picture below. It was one of 5 or 6 houses that gave right onto the beach with no access road to cross. Auntie Selma’s house became more than a vacation spot. It was a refuge. Selma was incredibly generous letting me stay there all summer during my mid teens. I shared an upstairs room with my cousin Stephen. My cousins Lisa and Heidi also shared a room upstairs. On weekends we were often joined by extended family. The place was jumping with lots of coming and going and kids dragging in sand. Selma’s house on the beach was an important part of my life.
Looking back, I took aunt Selma’s generosity for granted. She was always welcoming and generous in hosting a seemingly endless stream of family and visitors who would want to spend time at the beach. Here’s a photo my uncle Irving took of me on the beach outside that house. I have to admit, I was in great shape from running track. Looks like I have the same style bathing suit that I wore when I was six.
One summer I set up high hurdles on the beach so I could practice during the summer break. In this picture I’m racing my cousin Stephen who is keeping up with me although he didn’t have to jump hurdles. I would have been a good high hurdler if I had grown a few more inches, but it wasn’t in the cards. Soon after this picture, I discovered gymnastics where I was the perfect size..
Auntie Selma’s house on the beach continued to be an important focal point in my life. After returning from France (I was in my late 20’s) I bought a Sunfish sailboat which I stored at Selma’s. I wasn’t a very experienced sailor but that didn’t stop me from trying. I would wheel the boat down to the water, attach the mast, raise the sail, walk the boat deep enough to lower the keel and power through the surf. It could get very windy during the afternoon and evenings. One of my more embarrassing moments was on a very hot July day, with teaming throngs of people of on the beach, I tried to pilot the sailboat to shore by surfing a wave; the bow of the boat “pitch poled” — planted it’s bow in the shallow water — and I was catapulted of the stern while the boat was upside down. I received applause from the people at the beach.
Here’s a picture of my sunfish.
There are many more stories about Nantasket. But the most important and enduring story for me is the love and generosity of my Aunt Selma who opened her heart and her home to me over the years. This photo is from a celebration at the beach, in winter, after I got my Ph.D. My Auntie Selma is one in a million — make that 10 million,
